Zat Knight gets clever

[Lofthouse Lower]

What a shithouse he is. Too much to say for himself too, sounds familiar. What a bell.

ZAT Knight has told Owen Coyle he’s ready to be Wanderers’ main man.

With huge speculation over the future of Gary Cahill, Knight knows he could be called upon to anchor the back four.

Entering into his third season at the Reebok, the big defender praised the role of his manager in helping him rediscover his best form after a shaky start to his Bolton career.

And he insists he is ready to repay Coyle by becoming his defensive lynchpin if either of Arsenal or Tottenham capture £17million-rated Cahill.

“Every game I’ve been selected I have played 90 minutes, so it shows the manager and his staff have got trust in me,” he said.

“Hopefully, that will stand me in good stead for next season.

“My first season here was stop-start. I didn’t want to use the excuse of changing clubs but it was a different environment, and everywhere you go, you have got to get used to certain things.

“When the new manager came in, there was a change, and hopefully people saw that in me.

“It was upsetting getting injured in February but I got back and stamped my place in the team. It’s nice when the manager trusts in you that much.”

Should Cahill leave this summer, Knight and David Wheater would go into the season as the only fit senior centre-halves at Coyle’s disposal.

The manager is thought to have his eye on a number of replacements but much will rest on which one of the interested parties comes forward with an acceptable bid, as both Spurs and Arsenal are willing to offer players in exchange.

Knight has big hopes for Wheater, however, and feels he could well force himself into the international frame, given the right run in the first team next season.

“There’s a lot of speculation about Gaz going here and there,” he said. “And what will happen will happen. But I know that Wheater is a good defender and expectations are high for him.

“He’s had a little taste of things in the England set-up and I do believe he’d like to get back to that level.

“Me and Gaz have held down the centre-back spot but it’s for him to keep doing what he’s doing.

“We bought him for a reason. The manager thinks he’s good enough if anything were to happen to me or Gaz, or there was a loss of form.

“Next season he’ll have been there from the start, so that will be a big challenge for him.”

Would be happy to see him go. He's absolutely rubbish. He couldn't anchor a cat

[m_taylor]

I may get few comments on this, but i thought Zat played better without Cahill in the side and maybe, just maybe he could get better. (More out of hope i think)

[Bruce Rioja]

Ah see, my bad then. Knight knows he could be called upon to anchor the back four.

There was me thinking that that might already be his remit. Clearly it IS to be constantly out of positon, have the speed of an arthritic slug, the turning circle of The Queen Mary, give the ball to the other side and score goals on their behalf!

[Lord Kangana]

Don't think he's that bad. Just alright. We have a decent squad of centre halves even if Cahill leaves, but we'll still need a replacement.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Don't think he's that bad. Just alright. We have a decent squad of centre halves even if Cahill leaves, but we'll still need a replacement.

Agreed. We can do better but at the moment we're hardly well-off in the centre-back department (hence my desire elsewhere to not spunk away our only chance to loan from Citeh on Jô, ferchrissakes).

And half the abuse on this thread is unneccessary. Footballers are criticised for giving dull interviews, and this is hardly a riveting read, but what's he said that's so wrong? Again, use the quote test:

Every game I’ve been selected I have played 90 minutes, so it shows the manager and his staff have got trust in me. Hopefully, that will stand me in good stead for next season. My first season here was stop-start. I didn’t want to use the excuse of changing clubs but it was a different environment, and everywhere you go, you have got to get used to certain things.

When the new manager came in, there was a change, and hopefully people saw that in me. It was upsetting getting injured in February but I got back and stamped my place in the team. It’s nice when the manager trusts in you that much.

There’s a lot of speculation about Gaz going here and there. And what will happen will happen. But I know that Wheater is a good defender and expectations are high for him. He’s had a little taste of things in the England set-up and I do believe he’d like to get back to that level. Me and Gaz have held down the centre-back spot but it’s for him to keep doing what he’s doing. We bought him for a reason. The manager thinks he’s good enough if anything were to happen to me or Gaz, or there was a loss of form. Next season he’ll have been there from the start, so that will be a big challenge for him.

And that makes him a shithouse?

[Lofthouse Lower]

He's a shithouse for his on-field failings......I called his comments 'clever' as it puts him as the senior centre-half and therefore promoting his own cause.

[truewhite15]

Don't think he's that bad. Just alright. We have a decent squad of centre halves even if Cahill leaves, but we'll still need a replacement.

Agreed. We can do better but at the moment we're hardly well-off in the centre-back department (hence my desire elsewhere to not spunk away our only chance to loan from Citeh on Jô, ferchrissakes).

And half the abuse on this thread is unneccessary. Footballers are criticised for giving dull interviews, and this is hardly a riveting read, but what's he said that's so wrong? Again, use the quote test:

Every game I’ve been selected I have played 90 minutes, so it shows the manager and his staff have got trust in me. Hopefully, that will stand me in good stead for next season. My first season here was stop-start. I didn’t want to use the excuse of changing clubs but it was a different environment, and everywhere you go, you have got to get used to certain things.

When the new manager came in, there was a change, and hopefully people saw that in me. It was upsetting getting injured in February but I got back and stamped my place in the team. It’s nice when the manager trusts in you that much.

There’s a lot of speculation about Gaz going here and there. And what will happen will happen. But I know that Wheater is a good defender and expectations are high for him. He’s had a little taste of things in the England set-up and I do believe he’d like to get back to that level. Me and Gaz have held down the centre-back spot but it’s for him to keep doing what he’s doing. We bought him for a reason. The manager thinks he’s good enough if anything were to happen to me or Gaz, or there was a loss of form. Next season he’ll have been there from the start, so that will be a big challenge for him.

And that makes him a shithouse?

Well, DSB, you must understand that every player we have (except Petrov) is a huge steaming pile of the proverbial. And those that have ever made a single mistake (such as, say, being caught woefully out of position and wayyyy upfield, and lacking any effort to track back AT ALL in an F.A. Cup Semi...) are obviously so shite that their personality is called into question. Whereas every player that everyone else has is amazing, wonderful, a cut above us.

Until they join us. At which point they join the former category.

[Gary the Enfield]

What a shithouse he is. Too much to say for himself too, sounds familiar. What a bell.

ZAT Knight has told Owen Coyle he’s ready to be Wanderers’ main man.

With huge speculation over the future of Gary Cahill, Knight knows he could be called upon to anchor the back four.

Entering into his third season at the Reebok, the big defender praised the role of his manager in helping him rediscover his best form after a shaky start to his Bolton career.

And he insists he is ready to repay Coyle by becoming his defensive lynchpin if either of Arsenal or Tottenham capture £17million-rated Cahill.

“Every game I’ve been selected I have played 90 minutes, so it shows the manager and his staff have got trust in me,” he said.

“Hopefully, that will stand me in good stead for next season.

“My first season here was stop-start. I didn’t want to use the excuse of changing clubs but it was a different environment, and everywhere you go, you have got to get used to certain things.

“When the new manager came in, there was a change, and hopefully people saw that in me.

“It was upsetting getting injured in February but I got back and stamped my place in the team. It’s nice when the manager trusts in you that much.”

Should Cahill leave this summer, Knight and David Wheater would go into the season as the only fit senior centre-halves at Coyle’s disposal.

The manager is thought to have his eye on a number of replacements but much will rest on which one of the interested parties comes forward with an acceptable bid, as both Spurs and Arsenal are willing to offer players in exchange.

Knight has big hopes for Wheater, however, and feels he could well force himself into the international frame, given the right run in the first team next season.

“There’s a lot of speculation about Gaz going here and there,” he said. “And what will happen will happen. But I know that Wheater is a good defender and expectations are high for him.

“He’s had a little taste of things in the England set-up and I do believe he’d like to get back to that level.

“Me and Gaz have held down the centre-back spot but it’s for him to keep doing what he’s doing.

“We bought him for a reason. The manager thinks he’s good enough if anything were to happen to me or Gaz, or there was a loss of form.

“Next season he’ll have been there from the start, so that will be a big challenge for him.”

Would be happy to see him go. He's absolutely rubbish. He couldn't anchor a cat

Ironic post of the year goes too..............


Seriously what the feck is the point of ridiculing a player who is prepared to stick his neck out and say 'I want to do better'

[Bruce Rioja]

Every game I’ve been selected I have played 90 minutes, so it shows the manager and his staff have got trust in me.

No, Dobbin - it shows that there's no-one else to bring on!

[Lofthouse Lower]

Every game I’ve been selected I have played 90 minutes, so it shows the manager and his staff have got trust in me.

No, Dobbin - it shows that there's no-one else to bring on!

Quite right.

I think that when you're 6'8 then you should be half decent in the air.....

[Lord Kangana]

But it does raise the question as to why Wheater was dropped immediately when Zat was fit. Do players have a pecking order built in to their contracts, or does Coyle consider him the senior centre half?

[Lofthouse Lower]

Obviously does, I'd bet he's in the top half dozen earners, which would afford him some seniority

[Lofthouse Lower]

Ironic post of the year goes too..............

whoosh

[BWFC_Insane]

Coyle seems to have a pecking order/favourites and Knight seemed to be one of them. I don't think he's a great player but seems an honest enough lad. For me he is one of the areas we could improve, although I suppose he may play better with a different partner when he has more responsibility, he did seem to with Ricketts......

[Lofthouse Lower]

Didn't we keep more clean sheets with Ricketts and Knight than glory Cahill + another?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I believe we did, LL, but that was also (IIRC) when we were playing 4-5-1, or certainly a sight more conservatively than last season.

Knight's not a terrible player and to be honest I wasn't amazed when he was recalled before the semi-final; I assumed it was an attempt to stop those Potteries oxen. That it didn't work isn't entirely down to Knight, and I'm saddened that he appears to have become a shoo-in, not least because it 'proves' their existence under Coyle. I'd love to have more competition and I'm intrigued by the reports of this Williams fella at Boro. But having more competition sits very uneasily with hounding out one of the two centre-backs we'll have at the club once Cahill leaves.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Every game I’ve been selected I have played 90 minutes, so it shows the manager and his staff have got trust in me.

No, Dobbin - it shows that there's no-one else to bring on!

True, Bruce, true - another reason to hold off with the pitchforks. But I'd also add that centre-backs are almost certainly the least frequently (tactically) substituted players. If a manager thinks at kick-off that X+Y is his best central pairing he's unlikely to suddenly decided otherwise - unless X or Y is having a nightmare (insert cheap gag here) or the opposition are playing an unexpected way which more suits substitute defender Z. Even then, there'd have to be a very rapid in-match briefing about who's picking up whom – and you wouldn't want to hold that briefing session during play in a game you're struggling with.

[keveh]

Yes, let's get rid of him so that we can only have one centre half left, who has minimal premiership experience.

[wanderers_on_tour]

Every game I’ve been selected I have played 90 minutes, so it shows the manager and his staff have got trust in me.

No, Dobbin - it shows that there's no-one else to bring on!

Quite right.

I think that when you're 6'8 then you should be half decent in the air.....

Good job Zat Knight is only 6'6 then, you should really learn to expect less LL

And, although seeming logical, Peter Crouch and Zigic have both proven being tall does not instantly make you brilliant in the air, where as players like Tim Cahill have proven prolific yet standing at less than 6 foot tall.

I also agree that Zat Knight has often played his better football without Cahill, when he know's his centre back partner will be alongside him and not on some Beckenbauer-esque charge on goal. Sure he isn't perfect and like everyone else on here would welcome another centre-back for sake of competion of places/rotation etc. but i'm still quite happy for Knight to feature in our back 4 for the majority of next season.

[CrazyHorse]

To be honest it just sounds to me like Zat is fishing for a contract extension.

The brummie git.